School administration in a changing education sector: the US experience

Abstract

Purpose -Research, spanning half a century, points to the critical role of school administration and to the successful implementation of US government policies and programs. In part these findings reflect the times and a US educational governance system characterized by local control, a constitutionallyconstrained federal government, resource-poor state governments, and an overall system of segment arrangements for governing education. However, the US education policy environment has changed dramatically over the past several decades, with standards and high stakes accountability becoming commonplace. The purpose of this paper is to examine the entailments of shifts in the policy environment for school administrative practice, focusing on how school leaders manage in the middle between this shifting external policy environment and classroom teachers. Design/methodology/approach -The paper's focus is on how school administration manages the dual organizational imperatives of legitimacy and integrity in a changing institutional environment. This paper is an essay in which the authors reflect on the entailments of shifts in the education sector for school administration over the past quarter century in the USA. Findings -While considerable change for school administrative practice is suggested, the authors argue that organizational legitimacy and organizational integrity are still central concerns for school leaders. Originality/value -Although the paper's account is based entirely on the US education sector, several aspects of the framing may be relevant in other countries.

The Relation Between the Prevalence of Teasing and Bullying and Schoolwide Academic Achievement.

“…Given the ever increasing pressure for schools to achieve high passing rates on statemandated testing, school administrators are focusing their attention on improving student test scores (Spillane and Kenney, 2012). At the same time, the governments of 49 out of the 50 states in the U.S. have implemented specific laws directing schools to address bullying in (USDHHS, 2013).…”

“…In recent years, school administrators have placed increasingly high priority on improving the academic performance of their students on state-mandated tests like the Virginia SOL exams (Spillane & Kenney, 2012). Schools often devote considerable time and resources to academic preparation for standardized exams.…”

“…In recent decades, there has been increasing focus in schools on student performance on standardized exams (Spillane and Kenney, 2012). The emphasis on test performance has made it more difficult for school administrators to attend to non-academic matters such as school climate or bullying (Spillane and Kenney, 2012).…”

“…The emphasis on test performance has made it more difficult for school administrators to attend to non-academic matters such as school climate or bullying (Spillane and Kenney, 2012). Research suggests that student performance may also benefit from improving school climate (e.g.…”

“…Under these conditions, school administrators focus their attention on improving student test scores, largely through more intensive academic instruction, and leave relatively little time available to address matters such as bullying and teasing (Spillane & Kenney, 2012).…”